A Year to Remember

You know those people who find out they have a baby on the way so they start a blog so that they can share their adorable pictures and funny anecdotes about their little bundle with the world? And then you read posts throughout the pregnancy about the impending arrival of the newest little love of their life? You see pictures of the perfect little nursery, gender reveals, and eventually, maybe even a birth story. And then... nothing.

I totally understand these people.

2013 has been the best year. It hasn't been perfect or without it stressors and challenges, but it is the year I became a mama to the sweetest little boy ever to exist and I have loved it. 

I make no promises about doing a better job blogging in the new year, but I can do my best to catch you up on this last one...

January/February
These months were spent primarily preparing for our little arrival with baby showers, nesting, and getting bigger by the minute.

You can try all you'd like, but you just aren't going to convince me that this wasn't a lifetime ago.




March

In March, we met our precious boy. I'll try to spare you the gushing and let you read all about that here.  This little man stole my heart even faster then his daddy did, and that's saying something.

April

In April, we celebrated Justin's birthday, got to introduce Levi to his Michigan grandparents, and enjoyed lots of snuggle time. We also took Levi to Belton for the first time, where we traumatized him took lots of pictures in the bluebonnets.

May
In May I got to celebrate my first mother's day. Levi did a great job making it a special day. I think his daddy may have helped a little.

We also had the pleasure of taking pictures with our friend Hannah over at The Freckled Key Photography. She captured some moments that I will cherish. (You can look here for more of the pics.) If you are in the market for a photographer who is fun to work with and incredibly talented, she's your girl. :)

The Freckled Key Photography

Summer

In June, Grandma Cindy flew down to visit her favorite grandson again and watched him for us while I went back to work for a couple of days to finish up the school year. A few days later Justin's grandma also came for a visit to meet her newest great-grandson. I think she likes him.

Levi and GG

We also got to finally introduce Levi to his Aunt Jamie and Uncle Geoff, who were in Israel when he was born. FaceTime is a wonderful thing, but it's just not as sweet as the real deal. 

Aunt Jamie and Uncle Geoff meeting Levi in person for the first time.

The summer was full of visits from family, a trip to Belton for the 4th of July weekend with all the siblings, trips to the library, Justin's first father's day, early morning walks, and generally trying to stay cool.  

Levi snuggling with his grandma 

Splashing outside in the summer sun

In August, Levi welcomed a new cousin, Reagan Jo. He's pretty fond of her. David and Cindy (Justin's parents) came down for a couple of weeks and were able to be here when she was born. Grandparenthood suits them. :)

Levi and Reagan

At the end of August/beginning of September, Levi got to fly on an airplane for the first time as we headed up to Pennsylvania to bring five generations together. We had the joy of introducing Levi to his great-great grandma, who let us borrow her name for Levi's middle. It was such a precious time to see those two together. 

Levi Shafer with his great-great-grandma Shafer

September was filled with more grandparent visits, which included Levi's first baseball game and a trip to the state fair. 

"I'm just petting her, mom!"

October

In October, Justin qualified for a trip to Couer d'Alene, Idaho with work. It was beautiful and we loved the opportunity to be outside, hike, spend time together as a family, and get better acquainted with some of Justin's co-workers. When we got home, Justin's grandparents were able to come to Texas to visit Levi and his new cousin. During October, we took many trips to the arboretum to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and their amazing pumpkin patch. 

Couer d'Alene, Idaho

Couer d'Alene, Idaho

Later in the month, Levi got to welcome another little cousin to the world! My brother, his wife, and their four year old girls were so excited to welcome Cade Randal to their family. So happy that Levi has a little buddy so close in age! Both of Levi's new cousins were born right on their due dates. :)

Levi meeting Cade for the first time

November/December

Levi got to celebrate his first Thanksgiving in Oklahoma with my extended family. It was so fun to see grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who I haven't seen in much too long, and to meet so many new little ones who have been added to the family's always growing youngest generation.

Christmas this year was extra fun with a new baby to enjoy!  We had so much fun getting ready for Christmas, visiting Santa, and spending time with family.  

A few days before Christmas we headed down to Belton for our Pittenger family Christmas celebration. If you have ever met my family, you know that Christmas is a main event during the year. Elaborate decorations, minute-to-win-it style family games, traditions, and lots of laughter characterize our family Christmas. I love it. It was so fun to have the family all together to celebrate this year. 

We headed home on Christmas Eve to greet Justin's parents, who had just flown in. We enjoyed spending Christmas Eve and Day with them before they had to head back to Michigan. Justin's grandmother passed away during the holidays and they were unexpectedly not able to stay as long as they had planned. We were thankful for the time they were here and glad that they were able to go and be with Justin's grandpa. Aside from this sad news, we very much enjoyed the Christmas season, and especially loved getting to experience our baby's first Christmas.

One of the best things we discovered during Christmastime was that Levi has a great affection for Bing Crosby. When he is having a sad day, sometimes Bing is the only person who can make him happy again. Seriously. We are listening to Christmas music well into January and just might have it on year round. Thankfully, I'm a fan of Bing Crosby, and even more thankfully, we have a generally happy baby. :)

Of course, as long as it is, this post barely scratches the surface of our last year.  The hours spent attempting to get a baby to sleep, learning a new balance and routine, the hundreds of walks we have taken whenever the weather is not torrential rain or below 60 degrees freezing, watching Levi learn one new thing after another, Justin continuing to grow in his career, and Jana learning how to be a stay-at-home mom just don't always photograph well!

We have met some challenges (from getting our tiny boy to put on weight, to getting him to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time, to figuring out how to adjust our budget to one income so that I don't have to share my precious boy) and so many joys (like introducing Levi to family and friends, hearing his perfect laugh, and experiencing the excitement a new baby brings). It has been an incredible year. We thank God for the opportunities and blessings we experienced throughout all of 2013 and look forward to what is ahead of us during this new year!